Joining nations 1947-1990

ADAPTING TO CHA GE, l 97 5 - l 982

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tion offered to prolong the existence of its Organising Committee to prepare the 1981 Assembly in Oporto and the then Yugoslav delega– tion subsequently agreed to organise the 1982 Assembly in Ljubljana. As in l 96 l, a further and prolonged debate on fundamental issues arose out of financial worries. As we have seen, in recent years the remuneration of the Secretariats had been fixed at a more realistic level and the levy on the Assembly enrolment fees of accompanying persons had been discontinued. Thus a larger income was required from fewer sources of revenue. In the worldwide recession of the mid and late seventies, the income linked to the steel consumption of member countries actually decreased while the attendance at Annual Assemblies did not regain the levels achieved before the Assemblies of 1975 and 1976 in Tel-Aviv and Sydney and in 1977- 1980 re– mained within the range 500- 550. All these factors obliged the Treasurer, again Dr Sossenheimer, to present a budget for 1981 showing a substantial deficit. Not surprisingly, there were demands for a review of activities, including those of the Secretariats, for a reorganisation of the Public Sessions and Colloquia so that they should provide independent sources of income, and for greater emphasis on the role of developing countries. It was agreed that these and other comments which were invited should be reviewed by the Executive Council which would report in l 98 l. A less contentious issue was the adoption of the rules for the Leroy Prize Competition (audio visual presentations for use in teach– ing) which was to take place every four years alternately with the Goldschmidt-Clermont film competition. An Assembly which had been exceptionally difficult for the Presi– dent ended with the announcement that his successor, who would take up office at the close of the following Assembly, was Mr J Skriniar, the Director of the Czechoslovak Welding Institute in Brati– slava. Mr Skriniar's personal qualities had won him the confidence of all, while his commitment to the IIW was demonstrated by his leader– ship of an exceptionally active delegation which, under his guidance, had whole-heartedly co-operated in almost every activity of the IIW. Dr Girardi's problems did not however vanish with the appoint– ment of Mr Skriniar as President-Elect since he had to preside over the Executive Council's review and present its report to the Govern– ing Council at the Oporto Annual Assembly which had been organ– ised at such short notice by the Portuguese delegation and is so far the unique example of an Assembly held in the same country as the preceding one.